Marilyn calls Monday morning, sounding a bit giddy with anticipation and grandmotherly adoration. One of her foster kitties, Miss Violet, is in labor. Images of Marilyn and her loving family fluffing up baby blankets and going thru the baby-name book fill my mind.
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“Miss Violet is begging for affection and has made it clear that she wants us to stay with her during birthing,” Marilyn says. Her husband, Kip, is a great midwife, petting mama and talking quietly to keep her calm and comfortable, while Marilyn sits ready with towels and supplies, in case Miss Violet needs any assistance.
This is Miss Violet’s first litter. She’s just a kitten herself, barely one year of age, and needs the safety and companionship of a loving friend during the birthing experience. Marilyn has to hang up. I wish her a Happy “Birth” Day. She giggles and goes off to tend Miss Violet.
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Lounging on fluffy bedding, Miss Violet gives birth to her first kitten, a wee little torti (tortoise) just like herself. Head first she arrives in her birth sac, right on cue. Miss Violet licks away the mucus to open the sac, licks the kitten’s face to clear mucus away from the nostrils and mouth. The licking makes the kitten gasp, and the wee one’s lungs inflate, enabling kittens to breath on their own.
Next Mom licks the baby’s body to clean her and dry her to keep her warm. Miss Violet busily cleans herself up too, as well as the area around her. She has so much to do between kittens, and will not tolerate a dirty birthing area.
Instinctively, this brave, young mother knows just what to do. Mother Nature has taught her well. She knows the survival of her kittens depends solely on her. She must help them breathe on their own, keep them clean, dry and warm, fed and protected. What a super mom!
Talk about multitasking! Still licking her firstborn, Miss Violet gives birth to her second kitten. This little charmer is light brown and keeps mama busy with cleaning and fussing. All is going well but sadly, kitten #3 arrives with an incomplete birth sac. Miss Violet seemed to sense something is not right. For 15 minutes Marilyn and Kip work, even giving mouth to mouth, but the kitten remains lifeless.
Returned to the litter, Miss Violet senses no life, and puts all her attention on her first two. The third wee kitten never drew a breath. Recognizing that Mother Nature knows best, we must accept that sometimes there is nothing we can do and focus on the ones that need us now.
Lying on her side, Miss Violet gently scoops up her two newborn kittens with her fuzzy paw and draws them to her tummy for their first meal. They immediately snuggle at her warm belly and drink their first lunch, kneading with their tiny paws.
Purring contentedly, Miss Violet closes her eyes for a rest. She has enjoyed her first few hours of motherhood. So have Marilyn and Kip. Being foster volunteers can be bittersweet. To experience both life and death is very moving. To be a part of the natural flow of life makes you feel even more a part of it, and makes you all the more determined to protect it.
You’re all now honorary Godparents to these two kittens, and we hope you’ll remain part of their wonderful journey thru their next three months until adoption. Congratulations!
The kitties thank you!
